Dr. Paul Donohue Good Health

DR. PAUL DONOHUE GOOD HEALTH

Dear C.H.: It used to be taught that peripheral neuropathy was a rare bird. Not so. It's one of the conditions readers ask me about most often.

"Neuropathy" stands for "nerve disease." "Peripheral," in general, indicates nerves of the arms, hands, fingers, legs and feet -- the periphery of the body.

An early sign of nerve damage can be a tingling sensation or numbness. As time goes by, symptoms increase in severity so that pain is constant and muscle weakness can make walking or use of the hands a great challenge.

The causes of peripheral neuropathy are multiple. Diabetes is one. Inherited illnesses and injuries are two more. Many times, however, the search for a cause is unrewarding, and it remains cryptic.

Exercises will not stop spread of a neuropathy, but physical and occupational therapists can show how best to keep muscles healthy and what kinds of aids are available to make life less burdensome.

Pamelor, Norpramin and Wellbutrin are three antidepressant medicines that can often dampen nerve pain. Spinal-cord stimulators, which are pacemakerlike devices, can also block pain signals, as can pumps that release pain-relieving medicines into the spinal canal.

The very best treatment is contact with the Neuropathy Association. The association can provide patients the information they so dearly want. Its phone number is 800-247-6968, and the Web site is www.neuropathy.org.

Dear Dr. Donohue: It is quite devastating that one who calls himself a doctor can be so blasM-i about a person's well-being. I refer to the answer given to a woman who was an alcoholic but has been sober for seven years. She was considering taking one drink a day to prevent a heart attack. Your answer was, "There are many ways to prevent heart attacks besides drinking a glass of wine." -- J.G.

Dear J.G.: I must not have written my advice clearly. I wanted the woman to stay away from alcohol. It plays a minor role in heart attack prevention, and it is not necessary for anyone to begin drinking for its heart benefits. There are many nonalcoholic and more efficacious steps to take for heart attack prevention -- exercise, diet and maintenance of normal blood pressure. I do not want that woman to start drinking, and I hope she has not.